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15 January 1947
Syracuse Herald Journal- Nats Due For Bitter Court Duel One more long drill this afternoon at the State Armory is in store for the Syracuse Nationals basketball team as it makes ready for the invasion of the second place Oshkosh quint tomorrow night. Coach Benny Borgmann and his charges have drill intensively this week in hopes of gaining partial revenge for a 74 to 43 defeat pinned on the local club in the first meeting of the two teams at Oshkosh. Since that game Syracuse has improved by leaps and bounds and has won its last four starts at home in league contests. The team defeated Detroit, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, and Anderson in its last home games and is confidently anticipating a win tomorrow night. With no collegiate games scheduled here this week the Nationals are expected to play before the largest pro crowd of the season at the State Armory. Leading the invaders will be forward Eddie Riska who captained Notre Dame at an invasion of Syracuse in the 1930’s. He spent considerable time in the Navy and rejoined the All-Stars last November. Oshkosh is in second place in the Western Division standings and seems assured of a playoff space at the end of the season. This year’s squad has become known as the “pro team with the college spirit” for its offensive tactics. ---- From Skidding The Sports Field With the Orange away, the Syracuse basketball spotlight shifts to Danny Biasone, Ben Borgmann and their Nationals, pro basketeers, who take on Oshkosh at the Armory Thursday night. With an attack built up around big Mike Novak, Borgmann’s pupils have been playing highly satisfactory ball the last three weeks and are becoming a well respected club in the National League. Biasone’s great ambition right now is to lift his team into fourth position where it can qualify for the late season eliminations and his players, feeling satisfaction because of recent victories, assure him that second, not fourth place, is their goal. The Rochester Royals got away to such a flying start in the Eastern Division that the Syracusans now admit there isn’t a chance to overtake them but they refuse to make any such concession to the other four clubs of the division. They are ahead of Youngstown and close on the heels of the former Buffalo club which now plays for Tri Cities. Oshkosh, Thursday’s foe, is making his first appearance of the season in Syracuse. It is in the second place in the Western Division of the league and is one of the best clubs in the circuit, with the spark plug being Eddie Riska. If you have forgotten Riska let your mind go back a few seasons to a Syracuse- Notre Dame clash. Syracuse was leading by three points with 50 seconds to go. Riska caged a long one. Don Risley blew a foul on Syracuse. Riska shot the point and tied the score, sending the game into overtime. In overtime, Riska shot two field goals, Notre Dame won by one point. If you go to Orange games, you attended that one. If you go to pro games, you’ll be there tomorrow night. You’ll recognize Riska. He doesn’t run with that same reckless speed these days, but he’s in there trying all the time and his shooting eye, both from the foul line and the open floor, is as keen as ever. The Nationals today are a far different team than the one of early season which took a 31-point lacing in Oshkosh. They have an even chance of winning. Category:1946-47 Category:Nationals Category:January 15 Category:Biasone Category:Borgmann Category:Novak